“My lord, please have tea,” the tea-serving servant bowed. Xu Wanzhi slightly furrowed her delicate eyebrows, casually taking the tea cup and taking a sip. Seeing they still showed no reaction, she finally impatiently tapped the cup’s rim: “Leave.”
Was this a dismissal? The servants in the room looked up in confusion. Qi’er, who had been standing in the corner since entering, suddenly stepped forward, blocking part of the view, and with a subtle smile interjected: “Brothers, please rest outside. Last time, the young master said he wanted to talk privately with the master, and we shouldn’t hear it.”
She began leading the nearest young servant out, inwardly sighing helplessly, knowing this action would likely earn her many hidden resentments. But she had no choice. The master sitting firmly like a mountain had been behaving unusually recently. For over ten days, he had been unwilling to see anyone except her. Today’s visit to see the young master might be due to parental instinct, but who else could enter his sight?
Though he had never shown anger towards her, the strange and distant feeling emanating from his bones was clear. Young as she was, having been a servant from childhood and learned to read expressions, she understood intuitively.
Since his illness a month ago, he had been distant and rejecting towards them, even frowning whenever he saw himself in the mirror.
If she hadn’t played the mediator just now, he would likely have turned and left or erupted in anger – that would have truly been a slap in their faces.
Xu Wanzhi carefully observed her “own” child, scrutinizing him thoroughly, finding some resemblance to her current body’s face. An’er, knowing his father was examining him, remained still, his eyes moving back and forth, his expression vivid and lively, truly adorable and endearing.
She couldn’t help but pinch his cheeks, playfully teasing him. She asked, “How old are you? Have you started school? How many characters do you know? Do you have any friends?”
An’er, surprised by these familiar questions, blinked, momentarily confused.
Xu Wanzhi, realizing she sounded like a doting grandmother, felt a cold sweat. Fortunately, An’er was a charming child who, thinking his father was assessing him, smiled and answered, “Mother says I’m three years old, the young master of the Yulling Qu clan’s instrument makers. Next year, I’ll have a female teacher.”
Speaking so clearly at such a young age, he saw what seemed like his father’s approving gaze and happily added, “Mother also says she’ll give me a companion child. Is that what daddy means by friends?”
“That’s right, An’er is such a smart child,” she couldn’t help but brush back his hair.
An’er reached out to hold her sleeve, his eyes curved in a smile at his father’s praise. Childlike and innocent, his words brought a rare moment of relaxation. When Qi’er announced the medicine was ready and he obediently drank the bitter medicine, Xu Wanzhi playfully scolded him for sticking out his tongue like a puppy. The little fellow, teased by his father, pretended to sleep. She was amused, formally instructing the men in the room to take good care of him, then patted the child’s head and left the Hanzhang courtyard.
Gradually, uncertainty began to rise in her heart. Her initial shock and anger needed no explanation. Observing the unfamiliar surroundings, her subconscious urged her to stay calm. Upon reflection, she felt she shouldn’t panic so much. She was not from here and would definitely find a way back.
Xu Wanzhi spent most of her days lying in bed in a daze. However – an entire month had passed! This body is not her true self, with the wrong gender; having used it for a month, it’s completely impossible to develop any feelings. Moreover, various physical and mental discomforts are gradually pushing her patience to its limit. She doesn’t care if her bones might fall apart, nor does she care if she might never wake up.
But this purposeless blindness is gradually making her anxious, almost starting to consider using “radical” methods to escape this absurd dream. Xu Wan sighed, truly a child who reads the atmosphere. Perhaps triggered by that “radical” idea lurking in her confused mind, she suddenly felt a sense of relief. Having been here for a month, sleeping in a daze, she hadn’t stepped out of her room except for her “son’s” Hanzhang courtyard. The child had come to visit a few times, but she had casually dismissed him. Moreover, in a new era, in a foreign body, and seemingly in an upper-class society with no worries about livelihood, if she didn’t explore around, wouldn’t that be a loss? Harboring this “play around for a few days before leaving” thought, under Qi’er’s puzzled gaze, one morning Xu Wan got out of bed, first standing under a tree to do some aerobic breathing.
Then, she began wandering around the Qu family mansion. The Qu family seemed quite wealthy, with carefully crafted flowers, trees, pavilions, eaves, rockeries, and pools. The idle person carefully observed everything, occasionally stopping to sit quietly when she found the scenery pleasing, which greatly surprised the servants coming and going.
“My lord, is there something wrong with this flower…”
Master Yu, who had been growing flowers for the Qu family for decades, was used to this. During the flowering season, occasionally receiving praise from the master was considered an honor. Unexpectedly, this lord who had been bedridden for a month and hardly left the courtyard had now wandered through the entire mansion’s garden. Just now, seeing him working the soil, the lord had walked over, silently watching for a long time, leaving him unsure of the lord’s thoughts and speaking cautiously.
“No, uncle, the flowers you grow are beautiful.” Xu Wan smiled, and Master Yu, hearing the genuine praise, quickly bowed: “Hehe, my lord is too kind. I’m just an old servant who knows how to tend to these flowers and plants.” Slightly dodging the bow, she followed the old man’s hands, seeing the garden in full bloom. A purple butterfly delicately perched on an unnamed fully bloomed flower petal, its fuzzy wings fluttering up and down.
“The flowers are so spirited and beautiful, not letting down the butterfly’s longing. Uncle, your heart truly understands them.”
The old man laughed, picking up a large flower with black spots and a red heart, gently stroking its petals and picking up a nearby watering can to softly sprinkle some water. Xu Wan had never seen such a flower and couldn’t help but curiously approach, carefully touching it with two fingers: “Uncle, what flower is this?”
“It’s called Lian Zi. It means ‘compassion for one’s child.'” A low voice suddenly explained, solving her confusion. Xu Wan and the old man turned their heads simultaneously to see a tall man in a deep purple brocade dress walking leisurely, followed by a white-clothed young servant carrying a small brocade box, led by the steward.
The old man quickly bowed, first greeting the steward, and then also bowing to the man, recognizing his noble status. The man stopped three steps away, fixing his gaze directly on Xu Wan’s face, then smiled: “I heard the lord of Qu family has been ill, and I was concerned. Now I see you’ve recovered. This hundred-year-old ginseng, please do not refuse.” The young servant hurriedly bowed and presented the purple brocade box. She looked at the box, met the man’s smiling eyes, and raised an eyebrow: “Who are you?”
